Festival del Habano XXI Taking Place One Week Earlier

Next year, the two largest cigar festivals will be at the same.

Cuba’s Festival del Habano XXI will take place Feb. 18-22, 2019, a week earlier than normal. Some 800 miles to the southeast, the Dominican Republic’s cigar festival, Procigar, will be underway at the same time.

That’s normally not how it goes.

Typically, Procigar begins the first Sunday after Valentine’s Day. It concludes that Friday and Cuba’s festival begins the following Monday. For travelers, particularly those from Asia and Europe, the timing makes it substantially easier to attend both festivals.

For 2019, attending one will mean missing the other.

Habanos S.A. has not formally announced next year’s program. Procigar begins Sunday, Feb. 17 in Casa de Campo, though most of the festivities won’t kick off until mid-week in Santiago.